I've ranted and raved a few times about why people would rather read extreme AU/OOC/"canon characters in name only" fan fiction instead of original fiction many times in the last few years.

And just the other day, I stopped ranting long enough to really ask that question, seriously, not as a rant but as a genuine question without judgment.

Obviously many people DO prefer, or at least, very much enjoy, fiction that has traveled so far from canon in not just its plots and settings but in characterization that it is almost original fiction -- or really IS original fiction with a few canon names and traits thrown in, like the color of someone's hair.

Some such fics are good, some bad -- just like canon-consistent fic. The discussion of why people read bad fiction is for another day, LOL, and is definitely not limited to fan fic! I'm not questioning that these stories are often well-written and interesting, I'm asking for readers to explain what it is about these types of stories that draws them in when they are reading FAN FICTION.

To me, the reason I don't enjoy them is because the exact reason I read fan fiction is to get a "hit" of what the canon was to me -- that's what I liked and that's why I'm a fan.

When something doesn't feel like canon to me, it stops being fan fiction, and thus, doesn't scratch my itch. The story might still be good, but at that point, I'd really just rather read a book.

But I saw someone the other day going on at length about why she likes fiction that takes canon as a starting off point and then goes absolutely anywhere -- outer space, the past, the future, fantasy, gender change, changing the sexual orientations or ethnicity or backstory of any and everyone. It's what excites her as a writer and a reader.

So I thought I'd come back here to LJ, where there are so many of you who are in multiple fandoms, and see what your thoughts are on extreme AU/OOC/"canon characters in name only" fic. 

Please don't name any fics if you're going to bash them or say they suck. Lots of fics in all genres suck, and lots of fic in all genres are good. Please try to use GOOD fic if you need to give an example, and avoid putting any authors or fans down. Thanks so much!

Xie

ETA: One person said she thought I was referring to "slash" original fiction like Torquere Press etc. I'm not -- that never crossed my mind. By "original fiction" I mean everything from short stories to novels -- I mean all books and stories of all genres. What I'm saying is, if the choice is between reading fan fiction and any other kind of fiction that exists, why would someone read extreme AU/OOC,'canon characters in name only' fan fic PREFERENTIALLY, instead of picking up a book -- whether it's "Wuthering Heights" or "The Cat in the Hat" or a genre mystery or romance. Sorry for any confusion.